Apple is entering September on a new note. There is a new CEO at the helm after 15 years, and the company is foraying into foldable phones for the first time. It promises to be an eventful month for the Cupertino-based tech giant with mere days left before its biggest hardware event of the year.
With Tim Cook ascending to the boardroom, all eyes are now on John Ternus as the company’s new CEO, to see how he steers Apple into a future dictated by AI. His first order of duty will be to present the first foldable iPhone to the world, and double down on Siri AI, for which the company has partnered with Google to keep up the momentum going.
However, all the anticipation presently focuses on next week’s “Surprise and Shine” event, where Apple is likely to reveal brand new products. While we await how Ternus pushes the multi-trillion-dollar company into the future, September 2026 ends up being a vital month for Apple.
John Ternus takes on as Apple’s new CEO
The era of Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure as Chief Executive has officially closed. From today, September 1, John Ternus has taken charge as Apple’s new CEO while Cook transitions to Executive Chairman. A 25-year company veteran and former head of Hardware Engineering, Ternus oversaw the delivery of iconic device updates across Mac, iPad, AirPods, and iPhone.
Where Cook brought operational perfection to global supply chains, Ternus brings an engineer’s eye and, hence, is expected to lead Apple into a future driven by ambitious engineering goals. This comes at a time when the world and tech community question Apple’s plans for what comes after the smartphone.
Before rising up Apple’s executive ranks, Ternus earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. He joined Apple in 2001 as part of the product design team, where his very first project was working on the original Apple Cinema Display. Over his two-and-a-half decades at Apple, he spearheaded some of the company’s most critical hardware transitions, most notably leading the engineering effort that shifted the Mac lineup away from Intel to custom Apple Silicon. He also oversaw the hardware development of Apple Vision Pro.
The upcoming September 9 keynote will mark Ternus’ debut as he leads an Apple Event keynote, setting the stage for how he intends to steer the company through an increasingly crowded AI hardware landscape.
iPhone ‘Ultra’ as the Apple that folds
After years of having immense patience behind closed doors, Apple is stepping into foldables to challenge competitors like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series.
Expected to be branded as the iPhone Ultra (or iPhone Fold), the foldable device is expected to represent a sharp departure from standard smartphone form factors:
Book-style design: The iPhone Ultra is expected to open horizontally into a 7.8-inch display, functioning effectively like a pocketable iPad mini, alongside a 5.5-inch cover screen when closed. This form factor was something we’d already seen with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 a month ago.
Crease-free display: Apple reportedly developed custom structural materials to eliminate visible screen creasing, using liquid-metal hinges to maximise durability. Reducing the display crease has been a paramount concern for foldable phone makers, and it remains to be seen whether Apple manages to do something about it.
Ultra-thin profile: To keep the device razor-thin, it is said that the iPhone Fold is likely to feature a side-mounted Touch ID power button rather than a bulkier Face ID module.
The price tag: Expected to position itself as a halo device, industry rumours hint that the iPhone Fold could end up coming with a starting price of above $2,000, which could make it one of the most expensive foldable smartphones on sale today.
The iPhone Fold is likely to be presented as Apple’s iconic “One more thing…”, coming in after the flagship iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max – the phones expected to debut the A20 Pro system-on-chip and variable camera apertures.
Siri AI marks Apple’s entry into the smart era
Hardware is only half the battle. Apple is pairing its fall hardware releases with iOS 27 – one that was showcased at the WWDC 2026 event earlier this year. The star of the iOS 27 update will be Siri AI, the next version of Siri that could finally take on Google’s Gemini Intelligence for smarter on-device AI.
Siri AI engine: Siri AI will be presented as a rebuilt LLM-powered voice assistant capable of managing deep, cross-app workflows (such as scanning calendar context, fetching file attachments, and executing complex messaging tasks).
Foldable multitasking: iOS 27 brings split-screen app pairing and dynamic drag-and-drop mechanics, which seem to be tailored specifically to take advantage of the foldable display.
Apple Intelligence expansion: Apple’s on-device processing prowess expands into smart home hubs, updated AirPods, and new Apple Watch models powered by the S11 chip.